I make my films like you're going to die if you miss the next minute. You better not go get popcorn.

I'm interested, I suppose, in tortured power.

When you look at a movie, you look at a director's thought process.

I think a lot of people misunderstand what I'm doing, because my films are not easy sometimes. They do deserve a second viewing. I think they get misunderstood easily.

One of my fantasies in my life has been that I was granted access with a camera to go back in time, and to film the actual campaign of Alexander crossing into India through Iran and Persia.

[Fidel Castro] has a very good [human rights] record.

It was a tough experience with Alan Horn, who didn't like anything that was R-rated. So you can imagine he hated some of my films.